IFAD Invests In Yemen Fisheries

YEMEN - The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is to invest US$9.1 million in the Yemen fisheries industry to study fish stocks in the country during 2011.

The total cost the project is expected to come to $30.9 million.

IFAD says its aim in Yemen for the fisheries industry is to maximise the potential of Yemen’s fisheries sector, through the Third Fisheries Development Project, which established a Fisheries Manpower Development Centre.

The centre trained fishers in navigation and commercial fishing and marine engineering, and in fish handling, processing and distribution.

It formed specialists to be employed in the industrialised fishing fleet, where highly mechanized facilities were under used because of a shortage of trained manpower. The Centre’s extension service provided information and technical aid for remote fishing villages.

An investment programme has targeted five fishing villages that participated in four cooperatives in a bid to increase production and the incomes of the fishing communities, the programme provided qualified staff for the cooperatives and improved infrastructure, storage and transport facilities.

After an initial delay because of a lack of government financing, the project’s work proceeded rapidly when funds from AFESD closed the financing gap.

Now, IFAD is investing in a further investigation into fish stocks in the region.